The Valparaiso University track & field team got an early preview of the facility that will host the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships in a few weeks as the Beacons made the short trip to Chicago to compete in DePaul's Blue Demon Alumni Classic, hosted at Gately Park's Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center on Saturday. Numerous members of the Brown & Gold hit personal bests in the meet.
 
How It Happened

• In the sprints and hurdles, Brian Sponaugle (Milton, De. / Cape Henlopen) had a PR of 9.77 seconds, placing 13^th in the 60m hurdles. On the women's side, Taylor Pusateri (Portage, Ind. / Genoa-Kingston) clocked a season-best of 8.01 seconds to place 14^th of 23 in the 60. In the 200, Anthony Vassolo (Tinley Park, Ill. / Andrew) finished 13^th of 20 at 22.63 and Juliana Ferrara (Foer River Grove, Ill. / Cary-Grove) is fourth in program history in the 200, where she stopped the clock in 25.79, placing 12^th of 26.
• Ferrara PR'd at 1:00.41 in the 400 (12^th of 23) and Vassolo achieved a season-best 400 time of 51.24.
• In the mid distance, Ben Crombie (Lincoln, Ill. / Lincoln) led the 800 on the men's side at 2:03.13 while Reilly Ritter (Tabernacle, N.J. / Seneca [FGCU]) did so on the women's side at 2:25.38, a season-best time that put her 15^th of 24.
• In the distance, sophomore Noah Meacham (Tulsa, Okla. / Broken Arrow) now ranks fourth in program history after a PR of 4:14.56 in the mile. He outdid Chris Honig, who was previously fourth with his 2008 time of 4:14.72 and bumped Wally Bradford's 2013 time of 4:14.90 from the top five.
• In other distance action, Alex Valerio (Rockford, Ill. / Boylan Catholic) set a personal best in the men's 3000 at 8:48.81, placing ninth of 17. On the women's side, Chante Dixon (Benoni, South Africa / Kempton Park [UTSA]) paced the team in the mile with a PR of 5:08.15.
• In the jumps, Katie Koryczan (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point [Purdue Northwest]) had a PR of 4.89m (16-0.5), placing 11^th in the long jump.
• In the pole vault, Chris Fleschut (Naperville, Ill. / Naperville Central) had a season-best of 4.24m (13-11), and in the throws, it was Amelia Tandy (New Albany, Ind. / New Albany) leading the way with a ninth-place finish in the shot put with her personal best mark of 12.17m (39.11.25).

Up Next
Valpo will partake in the GVSU Big Meet next weekend beginning on Friday, Feb. 14 in Allendale, Mich.
 
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